Background: In the adult literature, perfectionism has been linked with psychopathology and poor treatment outcomes, leading to perfectionism-focussed therapies. The child and adolescent perfectionism literature is comparatively sparse. Method: A systematic search of five electronic databases (Web of Knowledge, APA PsycNET, PubMed, ERIC/ProQuest, and Scopus) was conducted to identify studies of perfectionism in children and adolescents, in the context of psychopathology. Results: The search identified 133 studies, 84 of which discussed perfectionism as a correlate of mental health problems. These studies were briefly synthesised, with the systematic review focussing on evaluating papers on the development (n = 23), assessment (n = 19), and treatment (n = 7) of perfectionism. Conclusion: Treatment studies did not reflect the phenomenology of perfectionism found in this review.
Key Practitioner Message• Perfectionism-focussed therapies improve treatment outcome in adults but further research is needed with children and adolescents • Clinicians should be aware of the role of perfectionism in psychopathology and its negative impact on treatment outcome • Where perfectionism is highlighted, contemplate targeting this early on in therapy, considering parental factors (pushy parenting style, harsh expectations, parental self-criticism and perfectionism), child factors (self-criticism, self-esteem), and attachment style • Perfectionism itself can be associated with achievement and emotional wellbeing: aiming towards supporting people to develop striving, adaptive perfectionism may be helpful • Consider publishing case studies of perfectionism treatment to add valuable knowledge to the empirical understanding of perfectionism in children